Closure for containers



Nov. 24,1936. D. W. 0E5 ROCHES 2,061,796

CLOSURE FOR CONTAINERS 'Filed Dec. 14, 1934 Patented Nov. 24, 1936 cLosonE Fon commas Donald Welz Des Roches, Toronto, ntario,- Canada Application December 14,1934, Serial No. 157,423

1 Claims. (01. 221-60) This invention relates to, closures for contain.- ers, more particularly to closures for collapsible tubes.

The well known screw cap for containers has long been recognized as being objectionable because of the fact that the cap is easily lost or misplaced, and a good deal of trouble is involved in removing and replacing the cap. A good many efforts have been made to overcome these objections, but most devices for that purpose have not been practical because they have either not provided an air tight seal or'because the cost has been prohibitive. Containers'are sold inlarge- 'quantities at a small margin of profit, and the addition of a fraction of a cent to the cost of manufacture is an important item. The object. of my invention is to devise a closure whichmay be readily opened and closed without removing the cap and which will provide an airtight closure without the useof washers, and which maybe manufactured at a cost at or below the cost of the ordinary screw cap. I attain this object by forming the exterior of the discharge and of the container with slots or recessesforming'shoulders in two opposite sides adapted to be engaged by the inturned edges of the flange of a slide. The sides of the discharge end above the shoulders may be tapered so that the slide may be snapped over the topof the discharge end. The top of the discharge end is preferably slightly convex to provide complete and full engagement between the cap and the topor mouth of the opening. A hole or opening is located in the slide cap adjacent one end thereof and adapted to 5 register with the opening in the discharge end of the container. Other objects of my invention and other details and modifications of my constructicn will hereinafter appear.

The construction above described has'the following advantages:

1 1. It avoids the necessity of threading the neck of the opening ofthe container.

2. 'It eliminates washers. 3. It avoids the necessity of unscrewing and screwing on caps, both in manufacture and by the consumer.

4. No change in size or shape of the container, or the package or carton in whichthe container is packed is required when using this type of closure.

5. The cost of manufacture is much lower, than the cost, for instance, of bakelite caps now cornmonly in use. 1

55 6. It is not necessary to remove the cap in order to remove the contents of the'container,'

and the cap can therefore not be lost or mislaid. My invention is hereinafter more particularly described and is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which: 5

" Fig-1 .is'a plan view partly broken away;

Fig. 2 an endview partly broken away;

Fig. 3 a side elevation partlybroken away; Fig. 4 an end view-partly broken away of a modification of my invention;

Fig. 5 an end view partly broken away of an other modification of my invention; 4

Fig. 6 a part end view and part vertical section partly broken away of. another modification of my invention; I a

Fig. 7a plan view of another modification of my invention; f v

Fig. 8 a vertical ,section on the line 8- 8 of Fig. 7i

Fig. 9 an end view of another modification of my invention;

Fig. 10 a plan view of a slide cap havinga modified opening therein;

Fig. 11 a plan view of a slide cap having another modified opening therein; 25

Fig. 12 a plan view of a slide cap having another modification of the opening therein;

Fig. 13 a vertical section of another modification of my invention partly broken awayj and Fig. 14 a verticalcross section of a modified slide cap.

Corresponding numbers in the different figures refer to corresponding parts.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 2, and 3, l is the dischargeend of a collapsible container 2. The said discharge end i is substantially square in horizontal cross-section and the sides thereof taper-towardthe top or upper end thereof, the general shape of said discharge end being frustopyramidal.

Spaced from the upper face. or top of the discharge end I and extending substantially parallel thereto are two slots 3, 3 cut or moulded in opposite sides of thesaid discharge end I.

A slide cap I having depending, flanges I, 4, the lower edges 4, l of which are inturned for engagement with the said slots 3., 3.'is slidably mounted on the said discharge end, thesaid in-. turned edges l 4" bearing again'stthe upper walls of said slots 3, 3-which form shoulders, and the under surface of said slide 4 engaging the upper surface or top of the said discharge end I. The slide cap 4 is formed of resilient material, preferably copper vor brass or a non-corrosive metal, and the height of the depending flanges distance between the upper edge or shoulder of the slots 3, land the plane of the top of the discharge end I so that when the inturned edges.

4', 4 of the depending flanges 4', 4* engage in the slots 3, 3 the slide 4 is under compression and bears against the top of the' discharge end I forming a tightclosure. It is important that the difference in height of "the flanges and the distance between the slotsand the top be not too great, otherwise the slide will be under ex cess compression which will make it diflicult. to move and may cause contortion of the slide which will prevent it from fltting tightly against the top of the discharge end at all points.

Preferably the top of the discharge end I is slightly convex in a vertical section taken at right angles to the grooves 3 and straight in a vertical section taken parallel to the grooves 3. This slight rounding of the'top permits a more effective engagement of the slide cap 4 with the top of the discharge end I. With this construction the height of the flanges may be substantially the same as the distancebetween the shoulders and the top, the tension being caused by .hiihe rounding or convexity of the top.

The opening 5 in the discharge end I is preferably round in horizontal section, and at one end of the slide cap 4 is an opening 6, which may,

be the same shape as the opening 5 in the discharge efid I, and which is adapted to register with said opening 5 in one position of-the slide cap-4. The opening 6 may be smaller and of any desired shape, as illustrated in Fig. 10' or Fig. 11, so that the contents may be expressed as a ribbon of any desired shape, inthe case of paste. The opening 6 may be merely in the form of a recess, as illustratedinFig. 12.

At the ends of the-slide cap 4 are lugs I, I which are'adapted to engage the discharge end I to prevent the .slide from being removed. The lugs I, I may depend from the top of theslide 4 as illustrated in Fig. 2, or may be turned inwardly on the flanges 4*, 4 asillustrated in i .9.,

The slide cap may be applied to thedischarge end of the'container by forcing it on from one side thereof and subsequently bending the lug I to prevent the removal thereof. However, it is an important feature of my invention that the slide cap 4 may be snapped on from the top of 4 4 of the flange engage the grooves 3, I.

use the device. 3

in vertical cross-section, as illustrated in Fig. 4,

-whereas in the other flgures the slots 3, j are of the substantiallyvertical flanges illustrated in the other figures the flanges 4, 4" are curved or arcuate in vertical cross-section, and the ends being substantially square in horizontal crosssection. Instead of a slot 3 forming shoulders for engagement by the inturned edges 4 of the slide cap 4, a recess, 3' is formed in opposite sides of the part I forming shoulders for engagement by the said inturned edges 4, 4

Although theslide cap 4 will be pressed flrmly upon'the top of the discharge end I under compression by the flanges 4, so that there will be a frictional engagement and the slide will not move unless force is applied thereto, as an additional precaution against movement of the slide while the article is in transit before it is used, the hole 6' may be only partly punched out as illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, leaving adisk of metal 8 in the opening.- This is punched below the lower surface of the slide 4" so that it will engage the top of the discharge end I when .the slide is moved, and at one edge of the disk 8 a lip 8 is raised slightly abovethe upper surface of the slide 4 so that a-flnger nail, pin or other 40 pointed article may be inserted beneath the said lip to remove the disk 8 when it is desired to Although it is contemplated that a tight closure will be obtained by the device as described, as an additional precaution against leakage, particularly before the contents of the container are put in use, a frangible seal ii of paper or similar the discharge end by placing it over the end and pressing it down. The outward slope of the discharge end I causes the flanges 4; 4' of the slide cap *4 to be pressed outwardly until the inturned; edges 4, 4 slip into the slots 3, 3. The distance between the upper 'edges or shoulders of the slots 3, 3 is preferably slightly greater than the normal distance between the flanges 4', so that when the cap is in position on the discharge end the flanges v4*, 4' bear against the said shoulders. Alternately the intu'rned edges 4 34 may. bear against the bottomof the slots 3, 3. s

Instead of sloping the sides ofthe discharge end. I in the manner illustrated in the other figures, the inturned edges 4', 4 0f. the flanges. 4',4' may be turn or rolled upwardly and outwardly to form upward and outwardly sloping inside surfaces to the flanges '4, 4, as illus- 1 trated in Fig. 4. On pressing the slide'cap' 4 downwardly on the top of the discharge end I the flanges 4*, 4" are pressed outwardly and the edges 4 f, 4 snapped into vthe grooves 3, 3',

which inrthis case arepreferably made V-'shape I materia maybe inserted in the container 2 below the discharge end I, as illustrated in Fig. 8.

Such a seal may also be placed across the top of the discharge end I before the slide cap 4 is applied thereto, or g. thin metal disk may be formed in the ope in the discharge end as is commonly done in other types of closures. As shown in Fig; 13 thetop of the discharge end I may be notched or rabbted around the opening 5 and a washer I0 located therein. This washer may be annular as illustrated, or may be a disk adapted to be broken when it is desired to use the contents of the container.

In the alternative the discharge end of the containermay be'dipped in paraiifln, rubber cement or similar material before applying the,

capQor the said" material may be applied to the 55 under side of the cap. This will form a. seal either over the opening orvaround the sides thereof when the cap is applied.-

' I Instead of making the top of the discharge end I convex as illustrated in the other figures, the top may bemadeflat and the under surface of the-slide cap convex, so that when the slide cap is pressed down on the top of-,the discharge end I and the inturned edges 4 are engaged with the shoulders of the slots 3,-the top of the slide cap will flattened out, but will bear strongly vided shoulders on opposite sides thereof against the top of the discharge end I, making a tight closure.

It should be noted that when the lug 1 forms part of or is secured to the top of the slide cap 4, it has a stiflening efl'ect tending to prevent the top of the slide from bending and tending to keep it in close contact with the top of the discharge end I. A further function'of thislug is to stiffen the ends of the slide so that the ends do not conform so readily to the convexity of the top of the discharge end thereby creating added tension when the cap is in either open or closed position and thus tending to retain the cap in either open or closed position,

What I claim as my invention is:

l. A closure for containers, comprising a dis charge end provided with shoulders on opposite sides thereof spaced from and substantially parallel to the plane of the top, and a slide cap of resilient material having flanges depending from twoopposite sides thereof and being of a height slightly less than the distance between said shoulders and the plane of the top of the disv charge end of the container, the lower edges of said depending flanges being inturned for engagement with said shoulders whereby the cap is held on the discharge end under tension and in close contactwith the top of the discharge end.

'2, A closure for containerscomprising a'discharge end provided with shoulders on opposite sides-thereof spaced from and substantially parallel to the plane'of the upper face or top of the said discharge end, the said top being slightly turnedfor engagement with said shoulders when the top of the cap has been curved to substantially conform with the top of the discharge end of the container.

' 3. A closure for containers comprising a substantially flat topped discharge endmrmrided with shoulders on opposite sides thereof spaced from and substantially parallel to the plane of the top, aslide cap of resilient metal having its under surface convex in cross-section, and

flanges depending from the two opposite sides thereof having inturned edges, said flanges being substantially parallel in their longitudinal direction and said inturned edges being adapted toengage the shoulders on the discharge. end of. the v container when the top .of the slide cap has been flattened against the upper surface or top of the in discharge end of the container and to, hold the I under surface of the slide cap. in contact with the discharge end of the container under tension.

4. A closure for-containers, comprising a discharge end having an opening therein and prospaced from and substantially parallel to the plane of the top, and a slide cap having a scored, partially severed disk in the-top thereof adjacent one end adapted to register withthe opening in the closure, and flanges depending from the two opposite sidesthereof, said flanges being substantially parallel in their longitudinal direction and the lower edges of said depending flanges being inturned for engagement with said shoulders. said disk in the slide cap comprising a partially punched out pieceof metal extending below .the under surface of the slide cap and adapted to engage. the side'of the discharge end of the container to prevent accidental movement of the 1 slide cap;

5. A closure for containers, comprising a discharge end having an opening therein and provided with shoulders on opposite sides thereof spaced from and substantially parallel to the plane of the top, and a slide cap having a scored, partially severed disk in the top thereof adjacent one end adapted to register with the opening in the closure, and flanges depending from the two opposite sides thereof, said flanges being substantially parallel intheir longitudinal direction and the lower edges of said depending flanges being inturned for engagement with said shoulders, said disk in the slide cap comprising a partially punched out piece of metal extending below the under surface of. the slide cap and adapted to engage the side of the discharge end of the container to prevent accidental movement of the slide cap, and a lip on said disk extending above the. upper surface of the slide cap to facilitate removal thereof.

6. A closure for containers comprising a discharge end provided witlrshoulders in opposite sides thereof spaced from and substantially pai'- allel to the plane of the top, and a slide cap of resilient material having flangesdepending from the two opposite sides thereof, said flanges being substantially, parallel in their longitudinal direction and the lower edges of said depending flanges being inturned for engagement with said shoulders, said discharge end sloping inwardly and up-- wardly from said shoulder whereby the slide cap may be snapped over said discharge end.

7. A closure for containers comprising a dis charge end provided with shoulders in opposite sides thereof spaced from and substantially parallel to the planefof the top, andca slide cap of ing surface to the edges of the dischargeend whereby the slide cap may be snapped over said discharge end."

DONALD W. DES ROCHE. 

